The Great Tang Dynasty's Trans-Dimensional Conference: Little Rhinoceros Arrives

"The... the Prince of the Great Tang?" Lin Fan couldn't help but start to stammer.

Although he was a modern person, he could still imagine what kind of status a prince would have in the Tang Dynasty.

He had even fantasized more than once that if he suddenly traveled to ancient times one day, he wouldn't dare to think about becoming an emperor or anything like that, but being a roguish prince would be a good choice!

And today, this opportunity was presented to him so easily.

Moreover, he did not doubt what Li Shimin said. He believed that if he nodded, Li Shimin would probably issue an imperial edict to confer the title the next second.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan took a deep breath and slowly shook his head under the incredulous gazes of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

"Your Majesty, I am very grateful for your kindness, but there is no need for such formalities as the title of Prince."

Hearing this, Chang Le couldn't help but feel anxious for Lin Fan. She thought Lin Fan would agree, but she didn't expect him to refuse so decisively.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun exchanged a glance, both looking shocked and surprised.

"Young man, do you know that I have never bestowed the title of prince upon anyone who is not of the same surname? Are you... truly going to refuse?"

"Yes, young man, why don't you reconsider?" Empress Zhangsun immediately chimed in to persuade him.

Seeing Lin Fan shake his head again, Li Shimin's expression did not change much, and Lin Fan's answer did not make him angry.

He just couldn't understand why, if he had said that in the Tang Dynasty, no one would have refused the opportunity!

"Alright, if that's how it is, then I won't force you. But I hope you remember, young man, that if you ever change your mind, you can always tell me."

"This promise, for me, will never change!"

Seeing how seriously Li Shimin spoke, Lin Fan smiled and nodded.

"I've got it, sir. By the way, Your Majesty, we didn't just bring potatoes this time; we also brought seeds for two other types of grain. Would you like to take a look?"

"What? There are still more?"

Li Shimin's legs almost gave way, but fortunately Empress Zhangsun was quick to catch him.

The Emperor and Empress of the Tang Dynasty were practically overwhelmed by the constant stream of good news they had received that day.

They originally thought they were already satisfied with potatoes, but Lin Fan kept rethinking their understanding.

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were overjoyed and quickly recovered from their shock and happiness.

Seeing that the two had calmed down, Lin Fan then had Chang Le carefully explain the planting methods and conditions for corn and tomatoes.

As soon as Chang Le mentioned the word "tomato," Xiao Si Zi put down what he was holding, wiggled his little bottom, and ran to Li Shimin.

"Dad, let me tell you, it's so great to have eggs! I love them the most!"

Looking at the adorable little face in front of them, Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun first noticed the cute headband she was wearing.

Li Shimin raised his hand and touched the big ears on the head of the rhinoceros, his face full of smiles.

"Haha, since Sizi likes to eat what... tomatoes, right? Then Father will have someone grow them quickly!"

"The headdress that Si Zi is wearing is so cute, it's a perfect match for her." Empress Zhangsun smiled indulgently at Si Zi.

"Hehe, this was bought for me by Lin Fan. There are more over there."

As she spoke, Little Sizi trotted over with her short legs and carried her little bag to Empress Zhangsun.

"Hey, Father and Mother, isn't it beautiful?"

After Chang Le finished speaking, from beginning to end, the smiles on Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun's faces never stopped.

"Your Majesty, with these two types of seeds, plus the potatoes we had before, I'm sure that in the future, the people of our Great Tang will no longer have to worry about food. This is truly wonderful."

Empress Changsun burst into tears of joy, clinging to Li Shimin's arm with immense happiness, as if she had instantly become more than ten years younger.

Li Shimin nodded happily, his eyes already glistening with tears.

"Guanyinbi is right, but all of this is thanks to you, young brother. Oh, young brother, what am I supposed to do with this!"

Li Shimin turned around and looked at Lin Fan with a complex expression in his eyes.

This young man, whom he had only met twice, not only saved the woman he loved most, but also completely pulled the Tang Dynasty out of its predicament.

Under Li Shimin's gaze, Lin Fan suddenly felt a little "shy".

From his perspective, what he gave was insignificant compared to what he gained during that period.

"Hehe, Mom and Dad, actually besides these three kinds of food, Brother Lin Fan also brought back a little baby!"

As Chang Le spoke, she took out two flashlights that Lin Fan had asked her to bring from a bag next to her.

"Little baby? What is this?"

Li Shimin and Empress Changsun stepped forward together and took the flashlight from Chang Le's hand.

The two examined it carefully, then looked at Chang Le with curiosity: "What is this treasure for?"

"I'm here!"

"Hey, this is a flashlight! You can use it all up!"

Although Xiao Sizi gave the answer first, Li Shimin and the other man still didn't quite understand.

Chang Le smiled and continued, "Father and Mother, this is called a flashlight. It can be used for lighting, but it's much better than the oil lamps and candles we usually use."

"Oh, lighting? I don't know how to use this thing?" Empress Zhangsun asked from the side.

Throughout history, the word "brightness" has represented beauty and blessings, which made Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun even more curious.

"Sister, come here, come here!"

As soon as Chang Le got the flashlight in her hand, Xiao Sizi hopped over to her side and waved incessantly.

Chang Le smiled and handed the flashlight to Xiao Sizi, "Sizi, be careful not to drop it and break it."

"Hmm, no, not at all!"

Little Sizi happily took the flashlight, twirled it in her hand, and found the switch.

Then, with a gentle flick of her hand, a beam of white light suddenly appeared in the dimly lit hall.

Although Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun had seen many amazing things before, they were still startled by the flashlight in Xiao Sizi's hand.

The emperor and empress's majesty vanished in the face of modern technology, and their faces trembled slightly.

"My God, this...this is simply a divine artifact!"

Unfortunately, Li Shimin was really "not very cultured," even though he could have expressed his current mood with a precise "Holy crap!"

Watching the little girl wave her hands incessantly, the light following the direction her hand went, Empress Zhangsun was momentarily speechless.

If she hadn't known beforehand that this was something from later times, she might have thought the little baby in front of her was a god in heaven who controlled light.

"Sizi, this hand... this flashlight, can you show it to your mother?"

"Hmm~ Mother, let you play with it." Little Sizi quickly walked up to Empress Zhangsun and handed her the flashlight.

Empress Zhangsun carefully took it, her movements as gentle as if she were afraid of damaging it.

"Your Majesty, look! This flashlight is absolutely amazing!"

As Empress Zhangsun waved her arm holding the flashlight, her summary at that moment could be summed up in one sentence: "Wherever you point, it lights up."

Seeing Empress Zhangsun having so much fun, Li Shimin, who was standing to the side, also began to feel a little eager to try it out.

"Hehe, Guanyinbi, you've had your fun. Quick, let me try it too."

Seeing this, Chang Le picked up another flashlight and handed it to Li Shimin.

"Ah, here's another one, try this one."

"Oh, that's great! There are actually two of these amazing treasures?" Li Shimin accepted them in disbelief.

Chang Le couldn't help but smile. She really didn't want to laugh at her father, the emperor, for being so ignorant of the world, but Li Shimin kept giving her the chance.

Thinking of this, she decided to tease Li Shimin again, "Father, there are actually more than two flashlights here."

"Huh? Could it be that there are many more of these? Where are they? I haven't seen them."

Li Shimin looked at the bags in front of him and realized that they couldn't possibly hold too much.

Li Shimin chuckled, "Changle, you're joking with your father, aren't you? Actually, it's already incredible that there are two such magical treasures."

As he spoke, Li Shimin touched the flashlight in his hand with obvious affection, looking every bit the devoted fanboy.

Chang Le covered her mouth and laughed, "Father, I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, you can ask Brother Lin Fan."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin turned to look at Lin Fan with some disbelief, swallowed hard, and tentatively asked.

"Young man, is what Chang Le said... all true?"

Seeing Lin Fan nod with a smile, Li Shimin's mind went blank.

Without giving Li Shimin a chance to react, Lin Fan dropped another bombshell.

"Your Majesty, I actually ordered five hundred of these flashlights before I came. You can send people out of the palace to sell them; I think you should be able to get a good price!"

"real?"

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun had already turned off their flashlights and were staring intently at Lin Fan.

"Young man, may I ask... what is the price of this treasure?"

"In later generations, these things would only cost ten or so yuan each, roughly the same price as those glass cups, right?"

"What? Such a great item, and the price is so cheap?"

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun were surprised by the price.

If someone had presented this flashlight to them before today, they might have gritted their teeth and bought it even if the price was several thousand or tens of thousands of coins.

After all, to those who don't know the truth, this thing is practically a magical artifact.

Chang Le nodded. "But there are batteries inside. If they run out of power, it won't work."

"Oh, it can be like this too?"

Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun found it hard to accept such a disparity. If that's the case, then this thing can only be used for a period of time.

Chang Le understood his thoughts from the expressions on Li Shimin's and the other man's faces, and quickly explained again.

"Don't worry, Dad, this battery is replaceable. You don't need to worry about it running out of power. Since Brother Lin Fan asked us to bring this back, he must have thought of a solution beforehand!"

"Can it be replaced?"

Li Shimin's eyes lit up. He quickly figured out the key point and couldn't help but clap his hands repeatedly.

"Hahaha, brilliant! That means we've always kept the source under our own control!"

Li Shimin's biggest worry was that such treasures would fall into the hands of foreign countries, but since batteries exist, he didn't need to worry about that at all.

"No, it's not just about control, Erlang, this is a never-ending source of wealth!"

Empress Zhangsun's reminder made Li Shimin suddenly realize the truth.

"That's right! So, we can not only sell flashlights, but also batteries—we can keep selling them indefinitely!"

"From now on, anyone who buys a flashlight will ultimately have to defer to the royal family, no matter what, unless they stop using it altogether."

But is it possible? There's a saying that goes, "It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!"

Would those powerful and influential families easily give up such a good thing after using it?

Moreover, if they see others using it and they don't have it themselves, can those arrogant guys stand it?

Thinking of this, Li Shimin couldn't help but burst into laughter again.

This feeling of complete control was incredibly satisfying for an emperor like Li Shimin.

The joy Li Shimin felt about what happened tonight was no less than the excitement he felt when he first ascended the throne.

"Young brother, thanks to you, you are the lucky star of our Tang Dynasty. I really don't know how to thank you enough."

Lin Fan had rejected all of Li Shimin's previous offers of thanks, leaving him speechless.

Empress Zhangsun and Empress Changle nodded in agreement.

Lin Fan smiled slightly, "Your Majesty is too kind. Strictly speaking, meeting Xiao Sizi is my blessing. These things are really nothing."

When Xiao Sizi heard Lin Fan call her, she raised her little face in confusion and yawned.

"Lin Fan, how are you?"

Lin Fan patted Xiao Sizi's head and shook his head with a smile. "It's okay, your brother didn't wake you. Are you sleepy, Sizi?"

Little Sizi spent the whole day running around in the future and didn't rest in the afternoon, so he's a little sleepy now.

Nodding, Little Sizi looked at Lin Fan and asked in a childish voice, "Lin Fan, you're not going today, are you?"

Forehead....

Lin Fan didn't expect Xiao Sizi to make this request, but of course he couldn't agree to it.

After all, the inner palace was Li Shimin's forbidden zone. Even if Li Shimin didn't mind, Lin Fan himself still had to be mindful of his boundaries.

Thinking of this, Lin Fan squatted down. "Sister Si, brother still needs to go back. How about you take brother back first?"

Seeing that Lin Fan wanted to leave, Xiao Sizi reluctantly threw herself into his arms.

"It seems like it's been a long time since I've been close to Sizi and the others. It looks like we should find an opportunity for the whole family to get together."

At that moment, Li Shimin suddenly thought of Li Chengan, Li Tai, and even his youngest son, Li Zhi.